In cases where a scroll fluid machine is used as a compressor, namely, as a scroll compressor, in such a refrigeration circuit, the scroll compressor is driven by the engine or electric motor of a motor vehicle. The electric motor-driven scroll compressor is easy to adjust the displacement of the refrigerant, irrespective of engine load, and thus is advantageous in that the temperature in the passenger compartment of the vehicle can be finely controlled.
Also, since this type of compressor is equipped in a vehicle, there has been a demand for smaller-sized compressors. A scroll compressor disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H08-109889 has an electric motor incorporated therein. Specifically, the scroll compressor includes a housing used in common for the scroll unit and the armature of the electric motor, and the scroll unit and the armature are contained in the common housing, thereby reducing the overall size of the compressor.
The scroll compressor disclosed in the above publication is also provided with sealed terminal devices for electrically connecting stator coils of the armature to an external feeder circuit. Specifically, the sealed terminal devices include a through hole formed through the outer wall of the housing, a holder plate fitted in the through hole in a gastight manner, a pair of terminals penetrating through the holder plate in a gastight manner for establishing the electrical connection, and a snap ring for fixing the holder plate to the housing.
Accordingly, the sealed terminal devices additionally require an O ring for sealing the gap between the holder plate and the housing as well as glass as a sealing material for sealing the gap between the holder plate and each terminal, making the seal structure complicated. Also, since a stopper, such as the snap ring, is needed to fix the holder plate in position, much time and labor are required to attach the terminal devices to the housing, lowering the productivity of the compressor.